He turned in his seat. His gaze never strayed. He didn’t glance around the bar or let his attention wander to other women walking by, even though more than one openly stared at him. “Alone?”
“Yes.” Though she doubted she’d forget him. No matter how much she wanted to.
“Ah.” He put a hand on the bar. Had his cell in his hand and held it up. “Am I wasting my time if I ask for your number?”
If he only knew... “You’ll figure it out.”
“I hope that means we’ll meet again.”
There was no easy way to end this, so she went with one bit of truth about the relationship he didn’t even know they had. “I’m sure you’ll be in touch.”
Chapter Two
For the first time in his life Sawyer Cain walked into battle without a single weapon. He came armed with nothing more than a smile. Big fucking mistake.
He stood on the front porch of the craftsman-style bungalow with his hand still in midair from knocking on the door. Very little shook him but the sight that greeted him had him taking a step back.
A woman with long brown hair and big brown eyes, all smoking hot and curvy in slim black jeans and a shirt unbuttoned just low enough for him to get a peek at the ribbed white tank underneath. Not just a woman. The woman. The one from the bar two nights before. The same one who had starred in two wet dreams since then. The one he sat at the bar waiting for last night as he hoped she’d make a reappearance.
He didn’t expect to see her here. He wasn’t even sure what her presence here, at this moment, meant. The baseball bat in her hand also needed some explanation.
“Sue.” He didn’t know what else to say, so he went with that.
“Sawyer.” Her expression didn’t change. She sure didn’t appear surprised to have him standing on the other side of the door.
It was almost as if she’d expected him, which had him replaying and rethinking every minute of that conversation at the bar. He’d get around to asking about that as soon as she lowered her arm. “Is there any chance you’d consider putting the weapon aside?”
She glanced down her arm. “It’s a bat.”
“Right, and I don’t want you swinging it at my head.” He didn’t know what he’d done to tick her off, but he worried she might aim for his nuts. If so, she’d better get ready to see an Olympic-qualifying jump over the side of the railing.
He’d liked watching her on a barstool with a beer in her hand. But he had to admit that this version, the non-flirting kind, didn’t exactly turn him off. The opposite, actually. The could-kick-his-ass thing was kind of hot. The idea of a woman who didn’t intimidate or mind his size or bluster had him thinking about the fire they could ignite in bed.
But now was not the time for his mind to wander.
“I’m just standing here on my porch, waiting to hear what you say next.” She didn’t swing the bat or level it at him. Merely leaned on it like a walking stick, looking ready to take a whack at him if needed.
But he had to admit she wasn’t totally out of line with the defensive moves. He didn’t exactly call first. Not this time. After having message after message ignored, he’d gone for the in-person approach, which in hindsight might have been a mistake. “I think we’re both hoping it’s brilliant.”
“You could always scoot down those steps and get back in your car.” She looked entirely too happy about that suggestion. “You’ll see the no-trespassing sign on your way out. Follow it this time.”
Scoot? Not exactly a word he expected from a twenty-something wearing body-skimming clothes that made his eyes cross and his mind wander to what her skin might taste like. He’d spent most of last night doing just that, damn her. Not that he could afford to notice...or taste any part of her. Not now that she had something to do with this house and this land.
He cleared his throat and got back to not noticing. “Do you always greet visitors with a bat? Because I seem to remember you being more friendly the other night.”
“That night I walked into a public place. Today you snuck through a locked gate.”
“Okay, wait a second. That didn’t happen.” No gate. No lock. No way.
He glanced around, taking in the acres of open land. Dry brush mixed with greenery and patches of brown. This part of San Diego County, thirty miles north of downtown and hugging the west side of Lake Hodges, got little rain but allowed for space. Acres and acres of it, which was exactly what he needed.
He’d made so many promises to the people he cared about. They’d stay in San Diego and open a new business. No working for the government or other people or getting shot at for a living. For him, opening a gun range guaranteed he’d be able to keep them all together. He’d lost so much, including coming within an inch or two of losing his humanity. The desperation to hold onto something ate at him, and the answer hinged on getting this land.
She twirled the bat. Just stood there and gave it a little spin.
The way he saw it she was a bit too comfortable handling that thing. “The gate was open.”
She frowned. “Not possible.”
He refused to engage in an argument about what didn’t happen. Still, being pegged as a guy who broke onto private property didn’t exactly sit right with him. Not after he’d gone on about what he could do with his tongue once he got her naked...or was that the dream. He couldn’t tell anymore. Standing in front of her, seeing the face that haunted him, had reality blurring on him.
He stuck to the gate and practical bullshit to keep from letting his gaze travel and risk a hit with that bat. “I planned to buzz in using the intercom at the end of the drive but figured it was safe to come up when I saw the open gate. But right now I’m wondering why.”
One skill he’d picked up in special-ops training—never show fear or confusion or the enemy would pounce—served him well in most aspects of life, including dealing with women. He sensed this woman in particular shared his philosophy. He could almost see her mind working—assessing and analyzing—all while calculating the perfect death blow.
Where was she when he’d needed a secret weapon in Afghanistan? She’d clearly been undercover in the bar. No question she’d known who he was. Not many people got the jump on him. He had to give her credit.
She bit down on her lip in what looked like an attempt to hide a smile. “Why are you here?”
Finally, a topic he could handle, but still... “I’m wondering the same thing about you. First you walked into the bar. Now you’re at this house.”
She sighed. “You answer first then I will.”
Not exactly his preferred way of handling the situation, but he’d play along. “I wanted to talk with Hailey Thorne.”
“Yeah, I figured that much out already.”
So much for thinking he had the conversation under control. He shifted, keeping his back to the car only a few feet away because for one of the few times in his life it was better to keep his back exposed than his front.
She nodded. “Go ahead.”
Looked like they circled right back and crashed into another roadblock. He didn’t have a lot of patience but he was the one with his hand out. The one who needed this to run smoothly...maybe that would start happening soon. He’d spent most of his life managing people and situations. He suddenly missed being in charge.
Trying very hard not to issue an order, which was exactly what he wanted to do even though it would almost guarantee he’d never see her naked, he took another run at the business issue. Once he got that settled he could concentrate on her. “Could you get Hailey for me?” When she just stood there, he added one thing he thought might help. “Please.”
“I am her.”
“Nope.” But it made sense and explained so much. He’d been calling and she came to find him. She used a fake name. He made an awkward pass.
She smiled.
Shit.
“You can’t be...” Somewhere in the last five seconds he’d lost the string of the conversation and quite possibly the ability to
comprehend simple sentences.
He thought back to all those talks with Rob in between scouting and briefings. After conducting deep recon and targeted direct-action missions, Sawyer would come back and check in before heading out again. He’d spent a lot of those hours during his time in the northern Badghis Province of Afghanistan fighting off boredom when he wasn’t gathering intel, evading the enemy and launching offensive strikes. Hours where he’d find Rob, a contractor with serious access to sensitive information, and think about anything but shooting and dying.
For Rob that meant a sweet piece of land northeast of downtown San Diego he planned to share with his fiancée, if he could convince her to move there. He talked about the land and her. Then he talked about Hailey, someone he said he’d known forever. Told Sawyer to find her when he got out of the marines. Rob described her as someone “very dear to him” which always struck Sawyer as an odd term and had him wondering if there was something more between them, which was why Sawyer expected someone older, not a woman who could be Rob’s daughter.
Sawyer thought maybe the current disconnect was his fault for not checking in sooner. He’d kicked around for months after leaving the marines before he put his life back together, but he had it under control now. Except for Hailey, the woman he expected to be in her forties or fifties and was anything but.
Worse, Sue was really Hailey. That meant the woman he wanted to fuck and the woman he needed for the land deal were the same. No way could that end well.
A movement in the front window next to her left shoulder grabbed his attention. The curtain shifted. A slight but very real shift. The striped pattern no longer lined up the same way.
Looked as if they had an audience. Probably a smart security choice on her part. He could admire that. A person couldn’t be too careful, especially living in a place without any visible sign of neighbors.
“Why is your friend hiding in the car?” She pointed at the vehicle waiting behind him.
Sawyer didn’t bother to look. Didn’t have to. He knew the shit he was going to take when he climbed back in the car. Jason McAdams was not the type of friend to let this moment pass without comment. Not that Sawyer had time to worry about that now. “Ignore him. He’s an idiot.”
Her frown lingered. “That’s not actually an answer to my question, but it’s probably good information to have.”
Sawyer’s patience officially expired. Frustration rumbled around inside him and he fought back to urge to shift his weight around. Time to wrap this up, or at least get the topic back on track. He didn’t drive here for a game of verbal gymnastics. “I came about the property, but you probably know that because of what I said the other night.”
“Which property?”
This wasn’t getting him anywhere. He’d tried charm, or his version of it. He didn’t have many plays left. “We seem to be having trouble with names and topics. Maybe it’s the door. May I come in?”
What he really wanted to do was go back to the bar and start over. This time work on a smoother delivery. Get to know her before talking about stripping her underwear off with his teeth. Then maybe this moment would run a bit better, though he would not bet any money on that.
“No.” She didn’t hesitate. Didn’t bother to explain either.
“Okay, not the answer I expected.” Though he had to admit he found her in-control attitude pretty damn hot. He just wished the attitude was aimed at someone else.
“You see a woman with a bat and you think you’re going to be welcome inside her house even though she doesn’t know you? The same woman, I might add, who you basically told you needed only for her property.” She hesitated over each word as if she were explaining her position to a child.
He was starting to feel like one and didn’t like the sensation one damn bit. Time to drag out the big guns. “Rob Turner sent me.”
There, that should settle it. Rob had said to drop his name. Sure, more than fifteen months had passed since he made the property offer but Sawyer knew Rob to be a man of his word. They’d worked together, coordinated operations and defeated death together...until that last time.
Her face fell and what little lightness had been there darkened. “You’re trying to tell me Rob recently told you to contact me?”
The memory of Rob’s death cut through Sawyer. The guilt and frustration of knowing he’d been two minutes too late. He could still hear the shots. The night ran like a movie through his brain. Blinking it out took most of his energy. It was even harder to bite back the rage rushing up his throat.
“I was with him in Afghanistan.” Sawyer tried to keep the information vague because he didn’t know what she understood about Rob’s work. “We talked about you, though I now think he held back some important details.”
Her eyes narrowed. “And?”
“We had an agreement about this property.” He rushed to clarify. “Me and Rob.”
Her head dipped to the side and that long hair fell over her shoulder. “So, now you’re saying my property actually belongs to you?”
He wanted to say yes but that wouldn’t be fair. “Not quite.” He blew out a long breath and reached for his final reserves of patience. “Look, can we start over?”
“I’m not sure that would get us anywhere since I know your end game, or part of it.” Her arms fell to her sides and the bat clunked against the wooden porch. “Get in your car and go home, Sawyer.”
Yeah, he should do just that. Get in and keep driving. But he’d made a promise to everyone who mattered to him and he’d be damned if he’d go back on it. “I’d like to talk with you first. Explain.”
“And I’d like not to have to swing this bat.”
His gaze went to her hand. He was pretty sure he saw her tighten her grip. Admittedly, the just stopping by thing hadn’t worked. “If I made an appointment would you¾“
She smiled. “I’ll have my secretary call you.”
“Now, why do I think you don’t really have a secretary.”
She winked at him and turned. “I see we finally understand each other.”
The door banged shut in his face, leaving him staring at a wall of blue. He wanted more than anything to ring that doorbell and have this out. But he also wanted to continue to breathe through his mouth rather than a straw, so he didn’t try for round two just yet.
No, he’d gathered enough intel to fight this battle another way. Of course, he had to survive the next few minutes first. Hiding his wince, he turned back to the car. In a few steps he stood beside it and had the door open. If he was lucky maybe Jason would stay quiet.
“That went well.” Jason tapped a steady beat on the door’s armrest. “Like, really impressive.”
Sawyer went with the most persuasive argument for why the scene sucked so badly. “So, that was Hailey.”
“Huh.” Jason stared at the closed door. “She’s not fifty or old or anything I thought she might be.”
Way to be the King of Obvious. “No shit.”
Jason faced him with a grin that blew way past the shit-eating stage. “Don’t get pissed at me because you struck out.”
“I wasn’t up there asking her out.” No, he’d basically tried that at the bar and struck out there. Sawyer remembered every minute of that strikeout. So far he was not doing all that well winning over this woman.
Tap, tap, tap. Jason highlighted the beat with what sounded like a snort. “Then you’re a dumbass. Did you see her?” This time he whistled. “Sweet.”
The face, the legs...that ass. Sawyer had taken a silent inventory of all of it. Clearly having a woman practically vibrate from the force of her dislike of him was not a turnoff. Sick as it was, he found her attitude hot. Also liked that she checked him out after getting his calls. Smart move.
Sawyer heard a noise kind of like a growl. When he realized it came from his throat, he snapped it off. “I was too busy noticing the bat.”
“Everyone will. I took a photo.” Jason stopped tapping long enough to wrestle his cell out
of his front jeans pocket and held it up. “See?”
Sawyer reached for it but Jason was a split second faster. Still, Sawyer didn’t need a solid look to see the exact moment Jason captured. Whenever it was amounted to pure Sawyer-fucked-up blackmail material. “Delete it.”
Jason frowned. “No way.”
“I’m going to kill you right here in the car.”
“You know, I blame myself.” Jason shook his head, all dramatic with a voice made for the stage. “I agreed you should be the one to approach Hailey.”
“Shut up.”
“I just never thought you’d suck so hard when it came to dealing with women.” Jason emphasized the “so hard” part with his tone and another head shake.
This was about what Sawyer expected. Didn’t mean he wanted to hear one more second of it. “You almost done?”
“I have more.”
As if he was going to give Jason a chance to talk about whatever that was. “We just need some time. This is going to be fine.”
“What were you watching the last few minutes because I saw the Sawyer Gets His Ass Handed To Him show.” Jason looked at his cell again, this time keeping it close on his lap and out of grabbing range. “My brother should be viewing it right about now since I did a video for him.”
Wasn’t that just fucking fantastic. “You’re a dick.”
Jason scoffed. “That’s not news.”
Sawyer’s mind bounced from one problem to another. The bigger one. “She can be won over.”
The tapping petered off. “Are we still talking about the woman with the bat?”
“That’s my point. We’re opening a gun range, offering self-protection classes.” Hailey didn’t strike him as a shrinking violet but everyone feared something. If she did, and the fenced-in property and alarm system suggested she did, then he could help.
Jason’s head dropped back against the headrest. “I know the business plan. I’m one of your partners, remember?”
“So, who better to sell that idea to than a woman who feels like she needs a bat and a gate in order to live her everyday life.”
Jason stared back at the closed front door. “You don’t know why she thinks she needs all that armor between her and the outside world.”
Chain of Command Page 2